


All I Want

by x_WorldDreamer_x



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: All I Want For Christmas is You by Mariah Carey, Christmas, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Music, Christmas Tree, F/M, References to Home Alone Movies, Sweet Kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:41:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28299885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/x_WorldDreamer_x/pseuds/x_WorldDreamer_x
Summary: There was only one thing Julie wanted for Christmas.Luke laughed quietly, whispering, “Merry Christmas, Julie.”Julie grinned, and her smile shone brighter than any Christmas Star. “Merry Christmas.”
Relationships: Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 92





	All I Want

“What do you want for Christmas this year, Mija?” Julie’s dad asked her.

Julie racked her brain, not expecting the question.

What did she want?

She already had everything she needed. She had her dad and brother who loved her unconditionally, the most loyal best friend in the whole world, and even the band that she didn’t lose after they nearly got their souls destroyed.

…the band…

Her mind followed that train of thought.

Alex.

Reggie.

…Luke.

Her eyes grew glassy as she drifted into a daydream.

Maybe Dad would hang the mistletoe like he always had to steal a kiss from Mom. Maybe she and Luke would end up under it. Maybe she would support herself by holding onto his biceps, revealed by one of his sleeveless shirts, as he leaned down, his hands on her waist. Maybe her eyes would flutter shut as his lips brushed over hers. Maybe –

“Mija?”

Julie blinked, harshly pulled from her fantasy. She cleared her throat, trying to keep her voice steady as she answered. “I’ll think about it, Papi.”

But she already knew there was only one thing she wanted for Christmas.

* * *

December arrived suddenly, leaving Julie unprepared for the chaos of the holiday season. Julie hardly had enough time as it was to complete her daily homework with all the rehearsals and writing sessions with the band, and teachers always assigned projects due before winter break. And the month was always a busy one for her father, with everyone wanting professional photos of Christmas lights and decorations, leaving Julie to care for Carlos now that their mother –

And Julie was desperately trying to dismiss the memories of last year, where instead of unpacking Christmas decorations, they had been packing up Mom’s things.

She was grateful that she wasn’t alone this year.

Since her father was constantly out of the house, and Carlos was now aware of the boys’ existence, Luke, Alex, and Reggie had taken to spending a lot of time inside helping Julie and Carlos decorate.

Julie rubbed her eyes tiredly as she descended the stairs at a time way too early for her to be awake on a Sunday, but the loud voices arguing in the living room woke her up.

“What’s going on?” Julie asked, yawning.

“Julie!” Carlos exclaimed happily, jumping up off the couch and running through Alex. “Dad said we could decorate the tree today!”

Julie sighed at the reminder of yesterday.

The boys had eagerly tagged along to the Christmas tree lot and had varying opinions on what the perfect Christmas tree should be.

Luke thought the tree needed to be the tallest. Alex thought the tree needed to be the widest. (And both boys ignored her hissing, “It needs to fit in the house!”) Reggie loved the tiny Christmas trees that were only a couple feet tall. (Julie caved at Reggie’s pleading eyes and asked her father to buy one for the studio. They put it on top of the piano.)

All three boys defended their opinions vehemently, the noise only audible to Julie and giving her a headache as she ran after Carlos, who darted through the trees, in and out of her sight, picking out the trees with strange shapes, curved either at the top or bottom.

Eventually, Julie found a tree (approximately seven feet tall so it could still for in the house and not too wide so it wouldn’t take up the whole living room but still full enough to look pretty) that all the boys (including Carlos) reluctantly agreed to, mostly because they knew they would be unable to persuade Julie otherwise, and it now stood in the living room.

“We need Star Wars ornaments!” Reggie claimed.

“No,” Alex denied. “Christmas trees are decorated with ball ornaments.”

Julie looked desperately beyond the arguing boys at Luke, who lounged in the armchair, looking bored.

“This happens every year,” he said.

Julie sighed again.

“BOYS!” she shouted, gaining their attention.

“Sorry, Julie,” Alex apologized.

“Did we wake you?” Reggie asked, cringing slightly.

“It’s fine,” Julie dismissed.

“Is the boyband here?” Carlos asked, and Julie smiled, watching Luke roll his eyes, tired of correcting her little brother.

Addressing all of them, she said, “After breakfast, we’ll decorate _this_ tree with the ornaments we have. We can decorate the studio tree with whatever you want, Star Wars _and_ Christmas balls, okay?”

“Okay,” they all muttered.

Julie smiled. “Good.”

She quickly ate breakfast (and got dressed) before allowing the boys to open the boxes of lights.

She and Carlos hung the four stockings (she’d have to get three more, she mused) upon the fireplace as she kept an eye on the guys as they wound the string of lights around the tree to make sure they didn’t knock it over.

When all three of them declared the lights to be finished, she set Carlos loose on the box of ornaments that had been dragged up from the basement on December first.

Julie hung only a few ornaments before stepping back as Carlos raced around. She leaned over the back of the couch, watching Carlos stretch as high as he could reach on the tree, and the guys hanging ornaments above that.

The tree looked a bit uneven, with a lot more ornaments on the bottom half, but Julie loved it. She knew her mom would too.

_“It gives it character, Mija.”_

The last thing to do was put the golden star on top.

Carlos spun the star in his hands, staring at the top of the tree, much too high for him to possibly reach, when the boys stepped up behind him.

Julie giggled fondly as her little brother cried out in surprise when her boys lifted Carlos into the air so he could put on the tree-topper.

For Julie, making contact with the boys was easy now, but they discovered (through Flynn) that if they thought of a lifer as an object, it was possibly to touch them.

Afterwards, Carlos and Reggie disappeared into Carlos’ room for another video game lesson, and Alex probably went to visit Willie for another date (“It’s not a date!” – “It’s a date, Alex!”) leaving Luke to realize Julie hadn’t moved, still staring intently at the tree, drinking in the glittering sight.

He copied her position, resting his forearms on the back of the sofa. “What’s up, boss?”

Julie, too caught up in her thoughts to blush at the nickname, pushed herself up and grabbed Luke’s hand, leading him back to the Christmas tree.

He watched her release his hand, delicately fingering a glass butterfly dangling on the tree with invisible fishing wire, making it appear to float in midair.

“Mom got this when I was born,” Julie said, her voice thick with emotion. “ _Because_ I was born.”

Luke looked between Julie and the ornament, finding it a fitting representation. The glass piece was beautiful, just like Julie, and from its design, Luke could tell it would glow in the sunlight, just like Julie did (she did it in stage light too).

“She told me every year how once I was born, she wanted something to remember the years that went by.” Julie smiled fondly, her eyes distant. “This was the first ornament. Whenever anything big, or important, or special happened that we wanted to remember, we got an ornament for it.”

Luke studied the tree in a new light. He, Alex, and Reggie had wondered on the unique (and sometimes clashing) patterns to the ornaments but hadn’t asked. Now knowing that the whole tree was a memorial of sorts, the tree became all the more special.

“So, each ornament tells a story?” Luke asked.

“Yeah,” Julie nodded. “Like this one.” She pointed at a glistening baseball. “Dad picked it out when Carlos was born. He used to play when he was a kid too and wanted to play catch with his son.”

“What about this one?” Luke pointed at a miniature keyboard.

“That’s one of my favorite stories,” Julie smiled. “I must’ve been… no older than three when I snuck into the studio and started playing on the piano. I don’t remember it, but Mom said I wasn’t just playing, I was performing a piece she had played the day before. The next day, she started teaching me piano and went out and bought that.”

Luke enjoyed seeing the way Julie’s face brightened as she reminisced on old stories. She emitted a warmth that he desperately wanted – needed to soak in.

“This?” Luke pointed at a delicate, pink dahlia.

“We got that last Christmas. It was one of the only decorations we put up,” Julie said softly, looking down. “Mom.”

Luke nodded in understanding and moved on to a gleaming metal ‘F’. “What about that one?”

Julie smirked at him. “Any guesses?”

“Flynn?” he guessed.

“Yep,” Julie confirmed. “I came home from my first day of kindergarten gushing about my new best friend forever. I like to think of the ‘F’ as ‘Forever’ now too because Flynn’s never left me. I couldn’t get rid of her if I tried.”

“You two remind me of me, Alex, and Reggie,” Luke admitted quietly. “We’d do anything for each other.”

“And I’m sure you have some crazy stories because of it,” Julie said. “I know Flynn and I do.”

Luke laughed. “Yeah, we do. We’ll have to do a story swap.”

“Some other time,” Julie said. “I don’t want to air all my embarrassing stories right now.”

Luke was fine with that. It meant there would be another time that was just them. A moment he could treasure forever, just like he would this one.

“What’s this one?” he asked, angling a wooden outline of a heart with a treble clef running through it toward her.

Julie frowned. “Mom never really told me. She just got it one day. She said, ‘You’ll understand one day, Mija. True music comes from the heart. Don’t ever sing something that is not yours. That doesn’t come from the heart’.”

“You know,” she mused, “that was around the time Carrie stopped being my friend.”

“How are things with Carrie?” Luke wondered. “She apologized to you, right?”

“Yeah,” Julie nodded, “after the Orpheum. She’s stopped with the nasty comments and promised to do anything Flynn and I asked to make it up to her, but we’ll see if she keeps it.”

“Wait, that was also when Mom stopped talking to Trevor,” she realized.

“Do you think she knew?” Luke asked. “About him? About Sunset Curve?”

Julie pressed her lips together, turning to face Luke, staring up at him.

“I think… she found out,” Julie agreed breathlessly.

Luke didn’t know what to say. He still had a burning anger towards Bobby for steal his songs. They were _his_ , written from the depths of his soul. But somehow, standing next to Julie, knowing she knew the truth, knowing she believed in him enough to not need those songs, soothed his rage and all he felt was determination to prove to Bobby, Trevor, and himself that he was more than those songs he wrote twenty-five years ago by making it big with his new songs, new band, that were so much better now that they had Julie.

“I already know what that one’s for.” Luke pointed at the tree-topper.

Julie looked at him in confusion and he realized how close they were. He hadn’t noticed the flecks of gold in the hazel of her eyes before.

“You,” he whispered.

Julie’s stomach fluttered in the way that it always did whenever Luke smiled at her like that, like she was a star – no, not any star, like she was the sun, giving life to the Earth.

She looked down, hiding her face and her blush behind her hair.

“No,” she denied, lightly shaking her head. “That’s just a Christmas star.”

“Well, it should be,” he said, tucking her hair behind her ear so he could see her clearly.

And if a few days later, Julie’s dad asked where a new ornament, a shining white star, hanging on the tree came from, she didn’t say anything, merely smiling gently as she tugged her backpack over her shoulder, leaving for school.

* * *

“Your marketing team has done it again!” Flynn announced, interrupting band rehearsal by sliding into the studio.

“Marketing team?” Reggie wondered.

“ _You_ ’re our marketing team,” Julie reminded her.

“Yes, and I’ve done it again,” Flynn said smugly, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

“What did you do?” Julie asked placatingly.

“Guess who’s playing at the annual Los Feliz Christmas Festival!” Flynn revealed.

“No way!” Julie shrieked, her eyes widening.

“Way!” Flynn confirmed, running in place in her excitement and holding out her hands for her best friend.

Julie leapt around the keyboard, grabbing Flynn’s offered hands, and bouncing around in a circle, yelling joyous, nonsensically phrases.

Luke looked at Alex and Reggie in confusion.

‘What’s that?’ he mouthed.

Reggie shrugged.

“Could someone please tell us what’s happening?” Alex shouted over the girls’ noise.

Julie released Flynn’s hands and turned to the boys, breathing heavily from exertion.

“The Christmas Festival is the biggest event in Los Feliz _all year_ ,” Julie explained. “It’s on Christmas Eve and the _entire_ suburb will be there.”

“When are we performing?” she asked Flynn.

“Seven,” Flynn replied smugly.

Julie gaped at her. “But that’s – that’s the…”

“I know,” Flynn grinned. “You can thank me now.”

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Julie squealed, tackling her best friend in a hug and knocking her to the floor. “You are the _best_ marketing team _ever_!”

“I’m guessing that’s good?” Luke inferred, raising a questioning brow at Alex and Reggie.

“It’s _very_ good,” Julie assured them. “Most people go at night when the lights are lit up. The only one’s who go during the day are families with, like, _really_ little kids.”

“Basically, the later you perform, the better you are, and the more people will be there,” Flynn said, guessing what Julie was trying to explain. “You guys have and hour to play during the final slot of the night.”

“Alright!” Luke cheered, high-fiving Reggie and Alex.

“There’s just… one problem,” Flynn cringed, interrupting the boys’ celebration.

“Problem?” Alex asked frantically.

“How can there be a problem?” Luke questioned incredulously.

“What are you talking about?” Julie wondered, voicing all of their questions to Flynn.

“Christmas Eve is in two weeks,” Flynn reminded them. “Do you have even _one_ Christmas song ready?”

The four band members looked at each other in panic.

* * *

“Is there anything you guys want to do to celebrate Christmas?” Julie asked. “Any traditions you guys had?”

“Christmas in my house was all about the birth of Christ,” Alex shrugged.

“We weren’t exactly a ‘tradition’ family,” Luke said. “I like learning about yours.”

“What about you, Reggie?” Julie gently prompted, ignoring the blush on her cheeks.

“The last few years, I – I watched this movie,” Reggie admitted. “I don’t know if you know it.”

“What’s the movie?” Julie questioned. “I’m sure we can find it.”

“It was called ‘Home Alone’.”

“’Home Alone’?” Julie repeated. “Reggie, that’s a Christmas classic!”

“Really?” he wondered, a smile growing on his face. “Cool.”

“What’s ‘Home Alone’?” Luke asked.

“Wait is that the one we saw in the theater?” Alex recalled. “About the kid and the robbers?”

“The Wet Bandits?” Reggie and Julie said together. They beamed at each other.

“You were in a writing episode,” Alex told Luke.

“Oh,” Luke realized.

“That just means there’s even more of a reason to watch it!” Julie stated.

A few days later, Julie, Carlos, and the ghosts enjoyed a Christmas movie marathon of ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’, ‘The Year Without a Santa Claus’, and ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ – Luke, Alex, and Reggie had never seen the live-action film from 2000, and were amazed, astonished, and slightly horrified at what the Grinch of their youth had turned into. They demanded to watch the half-hour cartoon version afterwards, which Carlos fell asleep to.

Reggie and Alex had graciously offered to carry Carlos up to his bed while Julie switched streaming platforms.

“So, what’s this movie about?” Luke asked, rising from the armchair to stretch.

Julie watched his arms flex out of the corner of her eye. She cleared her throat. “It’s about a boy who’s home alone.”

Luke stared at her blankly. “I got that part.”

Julie giggled into her hand.

“But why were you and Reggie going on about – wet? water? – bandits?” Luke wondered.

Julie rolled her eyes and pushed Luke onto the couch.

“Hey!”

“You’ll find out when we watch the movie,” she said, hopping onto the couch herself and curling around Luke’s arm, resting her head on his shoulder. She could feel him relaxing under her touch and he slipped his hand into hers, lacing their fingers. Julie pressed her lips tightly together to keep from grinning.

Reggie poofed into the room and dove onto the pillow pile they had built for him and Alex earlier when Julie and Carlos had control of the couch.

“Let’s get this party started!” Reggie cheered.

Alex appeared sideways on the armchair where Luke had previously sat, his legs thrown carelessly over the arm. “Yeah, what are we waiting for?”

“We _had_ been waiting for _you_ ,” Julie said, pressing play on the remote.

Julie glanced up at Luke and smiled at seeing him staring at the screen, his brows furrowed in concentration.

“Wait, there’s a serial killer living next door?” Luke asked when Old Man Marley appeared.

“That’s the rumor,” Julie confirmed.

“No,” Reggie denied. “He’s actually –”

Julie swung her leg out, lightly kicking Reggie’s back.

“Don’t spoil it,” she chastised.

The two boys who didn’t have the movie memorized were appalled by the treatment of Kevin at dinner by his family, crying out in shock and anger.

Harry, the ‘cop’, smiled, flashing his gold tooth at Kevin, and Alex said, “That was important, wasn’t it? I remember something about that.”

This time, Julie proactively kicked Reggie when he opened his mouth.

“Wait and see,” she ordered.

“Don’t say that,” Luke muttered, watching intently as Kevin wished he didn’t have a family.

It was just loud enough that Julie heard him, and she pressed her lips together, seeing the parallels between the boy on the screen and the one beside her.

She slid closer to Luke, ducking under his arm and wrapping her arms around his torso, squeezing tight.

One of his arms laid over her shoulders and his other hand rested snugly on her waist, holding her close.

He closed his eyes, rested his cheek on her head, and breathed in the comforting scent of Julie, peppermint and chocolate, feeling at peace.

“I told you that was important!” Alex said happily, pointing at the screen the next time Harry flashed his gold tooth at Kevin.

“Yes, you’re very smart,” Julie rolled her eyes. “Shut up.”

All three boys spun to face her, making Julie recoil under their intense gaze.

“What?” she wondered.

“’The Princess Bride’?” Luke said. “That was ‘The Princess Bride’, right? You know ‘The Princess Bride’?”

Julie blinked. “Duh. It’s only one of the best movies of all time.”

“Well, we haven’t seen it in twenty-five years,” Alex protested. “So excuse us for being excited.”

“Can we watch it?” Reggie asked excitedly.

“How about we watch it _after_ Christmas,” Julie suggested. “We have too many movies and not enough time already, but I promise it’ll be first on our list.”

“Yay!” Reggie cheered, succinctly turning forward to get back into ‘Home Alone’.

Luke shifted in his seat, so that his legs were stretched out on the front half of the couch, Julie taking the back half, snuggling into his side.

“Wait, he’s _not_ a serial killer?” Luke questioned as Old Man Marley had a heart-to-heart with Kevin in the church.

Julie rested her chin on his chest, blinking blearily up at him.

“You actually thought there was going to be a serial killer in a kids movie?” she mumbled.

“It’s possible,” Luke defended.

Julie giggled, returning her cheek to his chest, her eyelids staying closed for longer and longer with each blink.

As Kevin left the church, “Carol of the Bells” started playing on the soundtrack.

“We should play a version of this at the festival,” Julie said sleepily.

Luke nodded, musing it over. “We could work with this. Maybe something softer than our usual sound, lessen the instruments…” he trailed off, seeing Julie’s eyes closed. He kissed the top of her head. “We’ll figure it out tomorrow, Jules.”

The rest of the movie was very exciting, and Reggie cheered at each of Kevin’s victories, but Luke’s focus was more on the girl in his arms, her rhythmic, soft breathing, the warmth that both came from her and burned inside him from holding her close, and the way she unconsciously buried her face in his chest with every loud exclamation from Reggie.

It was true that ghosts didn’t need sleep, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t. And in the pure bliss of Julie pressed against him, his brothers laughing at the movie playing on the television, Luke drifted into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

“Julie, you better wake up if you want to be ready to go when Flynn gets here.”

Julie turned her head away from the sun, burying it in her pillow.

…That wasn’t her pillow.

The fabric was coarser against her cheek, firmer under her head.

Julie raised her head, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

She had fallen asleep during the movie last night, and so had Luke. Sometime between then and now, they had moved so that Julie was laying on top of Luke, their legs tangled, his arms around her waist, and Julie’s head had lain in the crook of his neck.

Her entire body tingled with warmth and comfort.

“How’d you sleep?”

Julie gasped, whipping her head to see Alex standing over them, his arms crossed and a teasing smile on his face.

“Fine, thank you for asking,” Julie said sharply, trying to sit up, but Luke’s arms tightened around her, tugging her back down to him.

Julie blushed as Alex snickered behind his hand. She reluctantly freed herself from Luke’s hold and glanced around nervously, sure it had been her father’s voice that had awoken her.

“Don’t worry. Your dad’s in the kitchen making breakfast,” Alex informed her.

“Good,” Julie sighed in relief. “I don’t want to explain cuddling with air.”

“You looked comfortable,” Alex smirked.

“Shut up,” Julie grumbled, heading upstairs to get dressed for a day of Christmas shopping with Flynn.

“So, what am I getting my best friend for Christmas?” Flynn asked as the duo wandered through the mall.

“You already got us the gig at the Christmas Festival. You don’t have to get me anything else,” Julie replied.

“I was just doing my job,” Flynn argued. “You need a present. And what am I supposed to get the guys?”

Julie groaned. “I don’t even know what _I’m_ getting the guys.”

Flynn gasped. “That’s right! What are you getting _Luke_?”

Julie’s mind wandered back to that morning and the feeling of peace and contentment that came from waking up in his arms.

“I know that look.” Flynn pointed a finger in Julie’s face. “What happened?”

“Nothing happened,” Julie denied.

“ _Something_ happened,” Flynn accused.

“Nothing!” Julie said. At Flynn’s narrowed eyes, she elaborated, “I _may_ have fallen asleep watching the movie last night. And… _wokeupontopofhimthismorning_.”

Flynn gasped again. “Girl! Why didn’t you start with that?!”

“It’s not a big deal,” Julie argued. “It was just… nice.”

“So, for Christmas…” Flynn prompted.

“I want to tell him,” Julie stated. “Maybe not _for_ Christmas, but I – I want to tell him how I feel.”

“Oh, this store’s good for my mom,” Flynn said, grabbing Julie’s wrist and dragging her into the store. “How are you going to tell him?”

“That’s the problem,” Julie said. “I don’t know.”

She watched as Flynn bounced around the store, collecting a few items in her arms.

_“I won’t even stay awake to/Hear those magic reindeer click,”_ Julie sang along under her breath to the quiet music playing over the speakers. _“’Cause I just want you here tonight/Holding on to me so tight/What more can I do?”_

“That’s it!” Flynn shouted, startling Julie out of her music induced daze.

“What’s it?” Julie asked, a hand over her racing heart.

“Sing him that song!” Flynn suggested excitedly.

“I – I don’t know, Flynn,” Julie said nervously.

“It’s true, right?”

“I mean, yeah,” Julie admitted, “but –”

“He would _love_ it,” Flynn said. “ _And_ you can totally hit those high notes.”

“He would,” Julie agreed, “but I can’t just go around singing love songs. Not that I won’t, I mean I can’t. I wouldn’t be able to do it.”

“What if we made it a performance?” Flynn suggested. “You can do that.”

“I _can_ do that, but how do I perform this?” Julie questioned.

“At the Christmas Festival!” Flynn proposed. “At the end of the set with the guys, you do one more song to close out the night. Make it a showstopper.”

“That – that would work,” Julie nodded slowly, thinking it over. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

“Yay!” Flynn cheered.

* * *

The ingredients laid dauntingly on the countertop in front of Julie. She slowly reached for the ever-growing box of butter. Her fingers landed on the box and she bolted, running up to her room and slamming the door behind her.

Julie launched herself over her bed, tumbling to the floor with a “THUMP!” She braced her back against the bed, tucked her knees into her chest, and buried her face into her arms, dissolving into sobs.

Pain rippled in her chest.

There was supposed to be another woman, taller than Julie, with warm hands that would guide Julie’s as they made cookies together. They weren’t supposed to be made by one person.

Julie closed her eyes against the sun, curling up in the fetal position, becoming enveloped in her sorrow, drowning in her grief.

She didn’t know how long she stayed there, only that it was long enough for both Reggie and Alex to come looking for her, sticking their heads through her door and calling her name, but her body was hidden by the bed, and when she gave no response to their calling, they retreated, not knowing she was there.

It’s was Luke’s bad habit of poofing into her room that had her found.

He appeared by the windows, in the perfect position to look down and see her tucked halfway under her bed. He quickly dropped to his knees beside her, asking worriedly, “Julie, what’s wrong?”

Julie sniffed, furiously scrubbing the tears from her cheeks as she pushed herself into a seat. “I’m fine.”

“You are obviously not _fine_ , Jules,” Luke scoffed. “How long have you been here?”

“Not long,” Julie muttered, not looking at Luke.

While it was true that Julie had gotten better at lying due to keeping _ghosts_ a secret, she could never keep anything from her boys. Luke knew she was lying.

He cupped Julie’s face in his hands, reminding her of the night they played the Orpheum, the first night they touched. He tilted her head up so she was looking at him.

“Jules,” he pleaded.

“I don’t know,” Julie admitted, her brown eyes meeting his green. His eyes shone like gems, like the rare green garnets she had only seen in a museum, but they were extra shiny, extra glossy, right now, rimmed with red, with faint tear tracks on his cheeks.

Julie frowned. She mimicked her movements, cupping his face, and she brushed away the tears with her thumbs.

“What happened?” she asked softly.

Luke visibly swallowed.

“I was with my parents,” he whispered. “Today’s the day I… left.”

Julie’s expression softened. She wrapped her arms around Luke’s neck, pulling him into a hug. She felt him relaxing into her hold, tightening his arms around her waist, and nuzzling his face into the crook between her neck and shoulder.

Luke relished the overwhelming amount of _Julie_ flooding his senses. His nose brushed against the soft skin of her neck and all he could smell was sweet oranges, the scent that followed Julie wherever she went. Her beautiful, frizzy hair tickled his face. Her fingers glided soothingly through his hair. And she was so _warm._ The warmth seeped into him as he clung to her. And if a few more stray tears slipped out because of the unequivocable feeling of _home_ , hitting her shoulder, neither of them mentioned it.

“I remember going to see Santa every year when I was younger,” Luke recalled, his voice muffled by her shoulder, “but I didn’t know we had… My mom was looking at the pictures today. She had them all, from age one to eleven, when we stopped going.”

“She was crying, but she and Dad seemed more content. She’s been that way since you gave her ‘Unsaid Emily’,” Luke said. “I can never thank you enough for that.”

“You don’t need to –”

“Yeah, I do.”

“No,” Julie denied. “That was _my_ thank you to _you_ for bringing me back to life. When you guys showed up, I may have the one who was _alive_ , but you were the ones _living_.”

“You would have figured it out,” Luke stated. “I refuse to believe you could ever be capable of giving up music. It means too much.”

“It was my mom today too,” Julie admitted quietly, twirling a strand of his hair in her fingers distractedly. “We used to always make Christmas cookies together, just the two of us. I tried to make some today – it was the first time – and it was just… too much.”

“You didn’t make cookies last year?” Luke asked softly.

“We didn’t really celebrate last year,” Julie said. “It was too soon after… after. We were packing her things, you know, like clothes and stuff. We weren’t exactly in the mood to celebrate. I thought this year… I thought I could…” Julie sniffed back her tears.

“Nothing is going to be the same, Julie. And if it hurts, you don’t have to make cookies this year. You don’t have to make cookies ever again if you don’t want to,” Luke said. “Traditions… let go of ones that are painful and keep the ones that feel good.”

“Luke?”

Luke finally lifted his head from Julie’s shoulder, looking down at the girl who was smiling up at him softly.

“Will you make cookies with me tomorrow?” she asked.

Luke’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

Julie nodded. “Mom always said the secret ingredient was love, love that comes from baking _with_ someone. I can’t do it _alone_.”

Her mother had also told her:

_“You won’t know what love is until you’re in love.”_

But Julie knew what love was. It was feeling safe in his arms. It was feeling invincible whenever he held her hand. It was willing to risk her life, even her soul, so he could survive, willing to trade herself for him. It was the little moments, cuddled up together while watching a movie and never wanting to move. It was getting lost in his eyes whenever he looked at her. It was thinking the world of him and forgetting about herself. It was their finding a perfect harmony.

She knew what love was because Julie loved Luke.

* * *

“What are you two doing here?” Carrie asked, opening the front door.

“Did you mean it when you said you’d do anything to make it up to us?” Flynn asked.

“That depends on what the ‘anything’ is,” Carrie said, frowning. “What did you have in mind?”

Julie and Flynn glanced nervously at each other. Neither was sure this was a good idea, but they were struggling to pull off the surprise and Carrie was the best person they knew to help.

“’Julie and the Phantoms’ is playing at the Christmas Festival,” Flynn started.

Carrie’s eyes widened.

“Julie, that’s amazing!” she exclaimed. “Congratulations! You guys are going to bring the house down.”

“Um, thanks,” Julie said. “Sorry Dirty Candy –”

Carrie waved off her concern. “Not really our scene, but thanks.”

Flynn nodded her head at Carrie when Julie looked at her.

“What?” Carrie asked suspiciously.

“I was hoping to add a song to the set,” Julie said. “At the end. A surprise. Without the band.”

Carrie frowned in confusion. “Why?”

“I want to sing Mariah Carey,” Julie revealed.

“Are you finally going to tell the guitarist how you feel?!” Carrie squealed.

Julie groaned in exasperation.

“It’s kind of obvious when you sing together,” Carrie informed her.

“I told you, you’re the most watchable dueters I’ve ever seen,” Flynn added.

“And that’s a great song for you,” Carrie continued.

“Thanks,” Julie said. “We were hoping you would join Flynn in backup vocals?”

“This is going to be your final song?” Carrie clarified.

“Yeah,” Flynn and Julie chorused.

“What else do you have planned?” Carrie asked. “Hair, makeup, costumes?”

“Um, nothing yet,” Julie admitted. “We’ve been working on getting the music since the band’s not playing it.”

“And Julie’s look needs to match the guys’,” Flynn added, “and they’re not being very receptive to the idea of Christmas outfits.”

“Alright,” Carrie agreed. “I’m taking over. Julie, you focus on getting the singing down, there are some very high, long notes you need to hit. Flynn, you’re going to help me with the outfits, since you know the guys’ styles. Then we dress up Julie so she can perform and still look like a queen – and us too of course. Then we’ll choreograph a routine.”

Julie and Flynn blinked in shock.

“O – okay,” Julie stuttered.

* * *

“What’re you doing?” Luke asked, appearing from nowhere, looking over her shoulder.

Julie jumped with a small shriek, spinning to face Luke.

“Don’t do that!” she chastised.

“Sorry,” he apologized, grinning.

Julie rolled her eyes.

“I got some more decorations,” she explained.

“What kind of decorations?” Luke asked.

“Ornaments and stockings,” Julie answered, carefully lowering the bundle in her arms to the coffee table.

“May I?” Luke asked, staring at the pile, knowing how important the ornaments were to her.

“Go ahead.”

With explicit permission, Luke lunged for the decorations, his curiosity overwhelming him.

He pulled a glittering white ghost and burst into laughter.

“I’d say meeting a ghost band was a pretty big thing that happened this year,” Julie giggled revealing two more.

“How are you going to explain this?” he wondered.

“You guys _are_ the _Phantoms_ in ‘Julie and the Phantoms’, Julie reminded him. “And when I’m a butterfly and Carlos is a baseball, no one’s going to look twice at three ghosts.”

“Fair enough,” Luke ceded as she hung the ghost together on the Christmas tree. “What else did you get?”

Julie lifted a beautiful sunset orange ombré phoenix, and Luke didn’t need Julie to explain it. It was her. This year she rose from her ashes, the grief of losing her mother, to be stronger than ever, her voice soaring high and louder than before, illuminating the stage and audience with the light shining from within her.

“It’s beautiful, Julie,” Luke said honestly.

She blushed, ducking her head.

“Stop doing that,” he said.

“Doing what?” Julie wondered.

“Hiding your face,” Luke whispered, stepping closer to brush her hair over her shoulders. “You’re too beautiful for that.”

He gently pried the phoenix from her grasp, hanging it next to the star he had gotten earlier that month. He turned back to Julie, who was watching him with a soft smile on her face, one that he swore made his heart beat every time he saw it, her eyes sparkling the sun on the sea. “What?”

He didn’t expect Julie to lean up, pressing a quick kiss against his cheek.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“For what?” Luke wondered.

She shrugged. “Everything, I guess.” She turned away, grabbing the stockings. “Now, I got you guys these, and I hope you like them, they’re not very exciting, but they match ours, and you guys are family now, and family has stockings, so I got you some, and I’m rambling, I’m going to stop talking, here.” She pushed a deep, royal blue velvet stocking into his hands.

Julie resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands. She couldn’t believe she had just done that. She had only a few more days until she was singing to him and here she was rambling nervously after kissing him on the cheek? This was going to be a disaster.

The fabric was soft in Luke’s hands, the only thing he had ever felt that soft was Julie’s hair. He turned it over to see the silver stitching spelling in a wonderous cursive script, ‘Luke’.

“You got us stockings,” he realized, not having understood much of Julie’s ramblings, brushing his fingers tenderly over the stitching.

“Do you like it?” Julie asked, biting her lip nervously.

“It’s – it’s perfect, Julie,” Luke said.

As much as the Molina’s were welcoming to Luke, Alex, and Reggie, Ray still had no idea he had three teenage boys living in the house/garage, and the three couldn’t help but feel like outsiders, intruders. This, a stocking to match the ones hanging over the fireplace, made it feel like home, like they were part of the family.

Julie’s was royal purple, Carlos’ was blue like Luke’s, Ray’s was a rich green, Rose’s was hot pink, and the new additions were Luke’s, Reggie’s Christmas red, and Alex’s soft pink.

It was a strange mixture, but it worked.

Luke smiled at the sight as Julie laced her fingers with his.

* * *

Julie had begged her father to bring her to the Christmas Festival early, during the unexciting parts during the day when the park was filled with little kids that couldn’t stay up late, and he eventually relented after her valid argument that she’d have to get ready for her performance when he and Carlos could wander around before she was onstage until the end of the night.

There would be probably a half an hour after her performance ended that she could enjoy the Christmas lights and the park at night, but by then, Carrie would be there, and the ex-best friend-turned-friend still didn’t know about the boys being ghosts, so Julie would be unable to experience the festival with the guys, unless they went early.

All too soon, Carrie and Flynn arrived, dragging Julie away to the makeshift dressing room, leaving the boys to watch the park fill up with patrons.

Flynn wrangled Julie’s hair into a high ponytail while Carrie did her makeup (thick, dark mascara and winged eyeliner with Christmas red lipstick and glitter on her cheeks that would sparkle under the stage lights).

They had chosen for Julie a long-sleeved Christmas red coat that was less coat-like and more shirt-like with it’s wide V-neck collar and only three gold buttons (that matched her necklaces) under the bust before billowing out around her legs, falling to her mid-calf. Under it was a silver, sequined tank top and white skinny jeans tucked into the very high high-heel leather boots (she was nearly the same height as Luke in them) that ended just below her knee. (Carrie had actually forced Julie to wear stilettos for the past week and a half so she wouldn’t trip and fall on her face when onstage.)

The three boys poofed in front of her in the wings.

“Are you ready?” Luke asked. “Because we just saw –” He cut himself off as his eyes drifted down and up, taking in her appearance. “Wow, Julie, you look…”

“You look great!” Reggie said, bouncing on his toes.

Alex reached around Luke to flick Reggie’s head.

“What?” he wondered, frowning and leaning forward to look around Luke when he caught sight of Luke’s face. “Oh.”

He and Alex stepped back, turning around.

“You look beautiful, Julie,” Luke said softly. “I mean, you always look beautiful, but right now you look stunning and –”

Julie smiled at Luke’s nervous ramblings. She stepped forward grabbing his waving hands and he cut off suddenly.

“Thank you,” she said.

Luke bit his lip, taking one more glance at her, and smiled.

“Julie, you’re on,” the stage manager announced.

“Let’s rock this,” Luke told her.

Julie grinned, grabbed her mic, and took the stage.

* * *

The boys poofed out at the end of the set, and Julie noticed them reappear at the edge of the crowd.

Julie swallowed nervously, shakily clipping her mic back into the stand as stagehands put two more on the stage, one on either side of her, just a little behind her.

She waited for the applause to lessen before saying, “There’s one more song for the night.” She ignored the boys’ confused looks.

“What’s going on?” Luke asked Reggie and Alex.

“No idea,” Alex shrugged.

“Did she tell you guys about this?” Reggie asked.

“The band left, because, well, they don’t know about it,” Julie explained. “They’re finding out right now that I, uh, put together this surprise.”

“What’s she doing?” Luke wondered.

“I love surprises!” Reggie cheered.

Luke and Alex rolled their eyes at him.

“Um, so instead, my best friends, Flynn and Carrie will be with me onstage.”

Flynn and Carrie waved as they stepped onto the stage in matching Santa dresses and hats, cued in by Julie’s words.

The spotlight landed on Julie and the sight took Luke’s breath away. (Or it would have if he could breathe.) She was glittering like sun shining across an untouched meadow of snow. She was shining like the Christmas star on top of every Christmas tree. She was glowing like a phoenix, rising from its ashes.

Julie closed her eyes as the spotlight fell on her, _feeling_ the warm light reflecting off her top and the glitter on her face.

_I don't want a lot for Christmas  
There is just one thing I need  
I don't care about the presents  
Underneath the Christmas tree_

Julie opened her eyes, finding Luke instantly in the back of the audience, locking eyes with him.

_I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
All I want for Christmas is you_

Luke’s lips parted in wonder as she sang, not looking away from him.

Alex and Reggie shared a smile around Luke. It was finally happening.

The music picked up and the girls onstage started swinging their hips and snapping their fingers.

_I don't want a lot for Christmas  
There is just one thing I need (And I)  
Don't care about the presents  
Underneath the Christmas tree  
I don't need to hang my stocking  
There upon the fireplace (Ah)  
Santa Claus won't make me happy  
With a toy on Christmas Day_

Julie pulled the mic from the stand, dancing with the girls downstage left.

_I just want you for my own (Ooh)  
More than you could ever know (Ooh)  
Make my wish come true  
All I want for Christmas is you  
You, baby_

“Is this really happening?” Luke asked.

Alex clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Yeah, buddy. It’s really happening.”

_Oh, I won't ask for much this Christmas  
I won't even wish for snow (And I)  
I'm just gonna keep on waiting  
Underneath the mistletoe_

Julie blew a kiss over the crowd. She and the girls danced backwards across the stage.

_I won't make a list and send it  
To the North Pole for Saint Nick (Ah)  
I won't even stay awake to  
Hear those magic reindeer click_

Julie, and Flynn and Carrie wrapped their arms tightly around themselves, giving a little shimmy.

_'Cause I just want you here tonight (Ooh)  
Holding on to me so tight (Ooh)  
What more can I do?  
Oh baby, all I want for Christmas is you  
You, baby_

Julie jumped to a steadying stance, her feet spread apart, singing upwards into the mic as she belted out the chorus.

_Oh, all the lights are shining  
So brightly everywhere (So brightly, baby)  
And the sound of children's  
Laughter fills the air (Oh, oh yeah)_

Julie leaned down, singing to the front row.

_And everyone is singing (Oh yeah)  
I hear those sleigh bells ringing (Oh)_

Julie straightened, crossing her right leg over her left, spinning in a circle, the train of her coat swinging around her.

_Santa, won't you bring me the one I really need? (Yeah, oh, oh)  
Won't you please bring my baby to me?_

Luke couldn’t take his eyes from her figure. She captivated the crowd, and watching her – was his heart beating? It felt like it was beating, and he found it hard to breathe. He didn’t even need to breathe! – there was no doubt that she was a star.

_Oh, I don't want a lot for Christmas  
This is all I'm asking for (Ah)  
I just wanna see my baby  
Standing right outside my door_

Julie stood, center stage, at the very edge, where the audience could reach up and touch her legs, staring at the very back of the crowd, directly at Luke.

_Oh, I just want you for my own (Ooh)  
More than you could ever know (Ooh)  
Make my wish come true  
Oh baby, all I want for Christmas is you_

On the last note, one she dragged out, higher than any other of the night, her hand lifted, reaching for Luke.

_You, baby  
You (All I want for Christmas is you, baby)  
Ah, oh, ah, oh (All I want for Christmas is you, baby)  
You (All I want for Christmas is you, baby)  
All I want for Christmas is you, baby (All I want for Christmas)  
All I want for Christmas is you, baby_

Julie finished the song softly, watching Luke, who had the beginnings of a smile on his face, not noticing the raucous applause of the crowd.

Flynn and Julie had to take her hands and lift them in the air to prompt her to bow with them.

She lifted her mic, saying, “We’re Julie and the Phantoms! Tell your friends! Merry Christmas!”

She, Flynn, and Carrie waved to the audience as the exited the stage.

Julie stumbled on the stairs and gave up on trying to go any further, sitting on the steps.

“I can’t believe I did that,” she muttered.

Flynn sat beside her, throwing an arm over her shoulder. “Believe it. You did it.”

“Now get up,” Carrie demanded. “You can’t just leave it like that.”

“What do you mean?” Julie asked.

“I know you’re keeping something from me,” Carrie said, putting her hands on her hips, “and it has to do with those holograms.” She held up a hand to stop Julie from saying anything. “I’m not asking. I don’t know how you do it, but that guitarist is here, isn’t he. What are you waiting for?! Go get him!”

“Carrie’s right!” Flynn said. She frowned. “Wow, I never thought I’d say that.”

Julie giggled, pulling her friends into a hug. “Thanks, guys.”

“Julie?”

Julie turned around and her eyes widened.

“My name is Andy Parker,” the woman introduced herself, offering up her hand. “We met briefly a month or so ago.”

“Yes, Ms. Parker, I remember,” Julie said, shaking her hand.

“I don’t want to keep you long on Christmas Eve, but I would love to meet with you again when we can have a longer conversation,” Ms. Parker said. “Perhaps sometime after the new year?”

“That sounds perfect,” Julie agreed. “Thank you.”

“It was a wonderful performance. Merry Christmas, Julie.”

Julie wheeled to face her friends as Ms. Parker left. Simultaneously, all three of them squealed, grabbing each other’s hand and jumping around.

Julie gasped. “I have to tell the guys!”

She gave her friends one last hug and thank you before racing off.

* * *

Julie tiptoed down the stairs a few minutes before Christmas.

The living room was aglow with light from the Christmas tree, so she didn’t need to turn on any other lights.

She gasped when she saw someone already on the couch.

He stood up, whirling around, and Julie realized it was Luke.

“Julie?” he asked. “What are you doing up?”

“I had a — a few more presents to put under the tree,” Julie said, nodding at the wrapped presents in her arms. “And I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing here?”

“I – we didn’t have many traditions in my house, but my parents always let me stay up to watch Christmas Day arrive,” Luke explained. “They – it’s a pretty magical moment.”

Julie gently lower the presents in her arms to the ground beside the tree.

“Do you want company?” she asked.

“I don’t want to keep you up,” Luke said.

“You’re not,” Julie assured him. She pushed him back onto the couch, curling up beside him. “So, you’d just wait up until midnight?”

“Yeah,” Luke nodded. “Well, once it was Christmas, I was allowed to open one present before going to bed. Here it comes!”

Julie gasped as the clock struck midnight, and the Christmas lights around the house brightened to illuminate the house like it was day. She gazed around in wonder.

Luke watched the light shine on her coppery skin, reflecting on some glitter that she hadn’t been able to wash off.

“Like I said,” he whispered. “Magical.”

Her eyes sparkled as she leaned off the couch, grabbing one of the presents she had brought down, handing it to Luke.

“What’s this?” he wondered.

“It’s Christmas Day,” Julie explained. “You get to open a present.”

Luke looked down at the present in surprise.

“Well?” Julie prompted. “Are you going to open it or not?”

Luke grinned at her, tearing at the wrapping.

“Jules,” he gasped, “how did you…?”

He was holding two ornaments, both guitars, one blue, one white, exact replicas of his own.

“One for you and one for me,” Julie explained softly. “Because you’re important to me.”

Luke set down the ornaments. “Julie, I can’t – I wanted to get you something, we all did, but ghosts…”

“Didn’t you hear the song?” Julie whispered, her eyes flicking between his hazel green ones.

Luke’s hands slowly rose to cup her face, leaning forward as she sang, _“All I want for Christmas is you, baby.”_

She had hardly finished the line when his lips were on hers. They kissed chastely, but they were hovered around each other.

“Luke,” Julie whispered.

He pulled her into his lap, his lips meeting hers again.

Julie grounded herself with a strong grip on Luke’s neck as they kissed.

Luke’s hands buried themselves in her hair, drawing her closer, though that seemed impossible from how close they already were.

Julie ripped herself away from him to breathe. Her chest heaved as she took in air, and she rested her forehead against his. She giggled, reaching up and brushing her thumb over his cheek. “You’ve got glitter.” She showed him the sparkles now on her thumb.

Luke laughed quietly, whispering, “Merry Christmas, Julie.”

Julie grinned, and her smile shone brighter than any Christmas Star. “Merry Christmas.”

**Author's Note:**

> I imagine Julie and the Phantoms’ doing covers of these songs for the Christmas Festival, but imagine it however you like.
> 
> “Holidays” - Meghan Trainor, Earth, Wind, & Fire  
> “Run Run Rudolph” – Kelly Clarkson  
> “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” - Mariah Carey  
> “Step Into Christmas” - Elton John  
> “Baby It’s Cold Outside” - Idina Menzel, Michael Bublé  
> “Little Saint Nick” - The Beach Boys  
> “Christmas Eve” - Kelly Clarkson  
> “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” - John Lennon  
> “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” - Brenda Lee  
> “Carol of the Bells” - Pentatonix  
> “Jingle Bell Rock” - Bobby Helms
> 
> “All I Want for Christmas Is You” - Mariah Carey


End file.
